Former Venezuelan spy chief, Hugo Carvajal, pleaded not guilty in a United States court to drug trafficking charges on Thursday after being extradited from Spain. Carvajal, also known as "El Pollo," served as the eyes and ears of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in the country's military from 2004 to 2011. US federal prosecutors allege that during his time in office, Carvajal facilitated the shipment of thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Venezuela to Mexico, ultimately destined for the US.

Carvajal's extradition to the US marks the culmination of more than a decade of effort by the Department of Justice to bring him to American soil. The charges against him include participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiring to import cocaine to the US, and conspiring to use, carry, or possess "machine guns and destructive devices" in connection with the cocaine trafficking.

Carvajal's lawyer, Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, confirmed that his client would enter a not guilty plea at his initial appearance in Manhattan federal court. Carvajal's extradition came after a back-and-forth legal battle that began with his arrest in Spain in 2019. He had initially disappeared while on bail after being tipped off about an impending ruling on his extradition. However, he was recaptured in September 2021, and his numerous appeals to delay extradition were ultimately unsuccessful.

In Venezuela, Carvajal was a close ally of late President Hugo Chavez and advised him for over a decade. However, he later broke with Chavez's handpicked successor, Nicolas Maduro, and publicly supported his US-backed opponents. Carvajal made headlines when he released a videotaped speech from an undisclosed location, calling on military personnel to rebel against Maduro during mass protests seeking to replace him with opposition leader Juan Guaido. However, the revolt never materialized, and Maduro has since strengthened his grip on power.

Carvajal's extradition has sparked a response from Venezuela, with National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, a close ally of Maduro, calling for his extradition to Venezuela to face multiple criminal charges in his home country. Prosecutors in New York initially alleged in 2011 that Carvajal used his position to coordinate the smuggling of approximately 12,300 pounds of cocaine from Venezuela in 2006. The US Treasury Department also accused Carvajal of providing weapons to Colombian rebel group FARC and facilitating the shipment of cocaine through Venezuela to fund the insurgents.

The European Court of Human Rights recently denied Carvajal's effort to avoid extradition, and Spain's High Court has now ordered Interpol to immediately extradite him to the US. Carvajal has been in Spanish custody since his arrest in Madrid in September 2021. If convicted, he could face between 10 years and life in prison.